MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th May, 2020) The United Kingdom has reported a further 363 deaths as a result of the coronavirus disease over the preceding 24 hours, a drop of 182 compared to Tuesday's daily increase to the death toll, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said Wednesday.
Public health authorities in the UK announced 545 new deaths on Tuesday, the largest announced increase to the death toll since May 12.
The total number of coronavirus disease fatalities in the UK now stands at 35,704, Dowden confirmed.
A further 2,472 new cases of the disease have been confirmed over the past 24 hours, a slight decrease from the 2,412 new positive tests reported on Tuesday, the culture secretary stated.
The UK case total now stands at 248,293, the minister stated, adding that the number of people currently in hospital undergoing treatment for the disease has fallen below 10,000.
Earlier in the day, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan urged retailers to bolster stocks of reusable non-medical facial masks that citizens can purchase in order to travel to work.
Government ministers have also confirmed that the UK's COVID-19 contact tracing app, which was initially scheduled to be released in mid-May, is unlikely to launch until June.
As part of the government's first stage of easing the COVID-19 lockdown measures, which entered force on March 23, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has urged those who are unable to work from home to begin returning to their jobs as the country seeks to reopen the economy.
